Bitting.

[Sherri Mazursky]

How do I break this painful habit?  My hands look terrible, My kids have both been bitten pretty good.

They don't like being around her now and are afraid of her. I know that she is just playing, but enough is enough. I try the yelping at her, but she just comes in for more. she is very snappy.

help.

[Sherri Mazursky]

Thank you so much!!! I'm gonna start trying the back thing. And make sure I count to 10 so I'm not angry.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

First, you should do a search by Biting and see that we have had tons of discussions on this very topic. This is a stage. All puppies go through it and sometimes, when they are at their worst, they are tired and need a time out. Try bully sticks for something to chew on. Distract with a toy when they are coming at you. Crate when you need a break. I do not agree with ever putting a dog or your puppy in a submissive position. This is normal puppy behavior and consistent training is your best bet. Sometimes a high pitched "eh, eh" gets their attention. It is also important to teach your children not to run around the pup. It will excite her and amp her up. Calm, firm tones work best and if everyone gets all excited, it will only add to the excitement level of your puppy. I thought Fudge was part shark. I tried to make sure she got plenty of naps and plenty of exercise. Good luck!

[Briggs]

agree with this. that is what worked for us. if my son got excited, so did briggs. calm. walk away. end the play. 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Follow Laurie instructions, as it will work wonders.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I couldn't agree more with what Laurie says here.  If the puppy is loosing its puppy teeth the worst of it is coming to an end.  However, you are still going to have a puppy and you are sitting the stage right now for the next 15 years.  Get into a puppy play group and then progress on to some obedience training.  Your boys are old enough to get involved and understand how their rough housing is making it worse.  You could also get an ex pen so when the puppy is getting a little too rowdy you can put him in the pen.  He can still have room to play but can't attack.  Also, make sure that you or no one else is engaging the biting.  If the puppy is grabbing pants legs, make sure you aren't pulling them away an making it a game.  Always have a little stuffed toy handy and swap the pants leg for a toy.  

[Leita Hagemann]

i've had this same issue with Denali who is 9 weeks old now. We do the yelp and stand up and ignore him for 30 seconds or so but he seems to care less if we ignore him or not and often can almost immediately entertain himself with something as soon as we stand up. He also infinitely prefers our hands to toys. If i am playing with him with a toy he will snap at where my hand meets the toy not at they toy. He also does a lunge thing where he just lunges towards our hands and ankles but if he makes contact its hard. Any advice is helpful because the yelping seems about as effective as hitting my head against the wall and a toy doesn't act as much of a barrier. Ive tried this one trick of when he bites pressing my thumb down on the bottom on his mouth and creating a slight pressure there. He just figured out that depending on the angle that he bites my hand I can't create that pressure. But my hands are a mess - i think a spray bottle is next 

[Marilyn Sucher Cohn]

Yes, and I have the same issue with Gracie. She could care less that I shout ouch and go away for 30 seconds. The breeder suggested I spray Bitter Apple on my arms -- but then Gracie went to a different body area! I'm going to try timing her out.

I also don't know if playing tug reinforces her biting or satisfies her need to chew.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Sherry ~ I would suggest that when she does bite you yelp loud and turn away and leave her.  Have you ever watched puppies play? That is what they do and they learn rather quickly what they can and can't do.  If she chases after you and bites your pant leg, pick her gently up saying nothing and put her in a time out either in crate or x-pen.  5 or 10 minutes of quiet time can do wonders.  Hang in there this too shall pass!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

it passes. IT is what puppies do and basically, you have to wait it out.

[Tammy and Violet]

Can you place her on her gently on her side,holding her down and say.. no biting until she calm down and let her up .I used to do the to Violet , it helped,no tug of war with them I was told,after she turns 1 year it will all stop ... I never would have believed that ... .keep on with the training .....speaking of which . I need to get back to training w Violet !! I have been laxed with it :(

[Julia Janzen]

Oy vey do I feel for you tonight as my 4 year old who is basically in the same mental space as this puppy got nipped in the face.  She doesn't nip with me anymore because from the beginning I "YIPE!!!" then I whimper and say "kisses" and she looks so sad and licks me.  Now with my daughters she's REALLY trying to play rough with them and I have to keep between them.  It's sad not to be able to let them just play together.  I finally figured if I gave Daisy or doodle a soft toy to put in her mouth that she just runs around and plays with the girls and no problem.  But tonight my daughter ran before she had the toy and Daisy pinned her against the wall jumping on her and nipped her cheek really good before my husband grabbed her and put her in the playpen area.  I really think it's just a matter of continual work with the dog AND the kids.  I don't know about you but I kind of think the nipping happens when she gets overly excited.  So I'm going to try to get her worked up and excited and then introduce a command like "SIT".  If I can get her to do something else maybe that will work?  Good luck.  This is our first big dog and I'm learning they are a LOT like out of control toddlers.  It's amazing how discipline is so similar isn't it?  I know there are tons of differences but I do see that being consistent is incredibly important.

[Melissa Bissell]

My puppy is about 5 1/2 months.  He was terrible with biting from about 9 weeks until just about 3 weeks ago, 4 1/2 -5 mos.  I only wore old clothes and they became all full of bite holes.  And my hands and arms and legs were a mess.  He went through 3 leashes, one lasted only 2 days!!!  I have 3 kids, my youngest is 12, so not as bad as having little ones, but my 12 year old was really frustrated.  He really wanted to play and cuddle with Hugo but Hugo would just bite and bite.  Seriously, for about 2 months we couldn't even pet Hugo because the minute he saw our hands he would start biting.  It was incredibly frustrating.  My husband called him "out of control".  I told the family that he is "in training" and when he does something we don't approve of it is our fault because we aren't giving him the right message.  That language helped us all get through this challenging time.  We used all of the strategies outlined in this thread.  It seemed some would work one day and not others.  So, then his teeth started falling out, and that changed everything. He has very few baby teeth left and he has calmed down a lot.  I also used an air puffer - I don't know if this is really an approved training tool, but it worked wonders for us when nothing else was working.  You can get it at the pet store.  It sounds like an inhaler - just blows out a puff of air.  Dogs don't like the sound.  NEVER blow it at the dog.  Blow it away from both of you and up and away.  And only use it when he is doing the undesirable behavior, then reward with a treat when he does the right thing.  I only had to use this 3-4 times and he stopped all of the undesirable behaviors - the biting and leash chewing and pant pulling!  He now barely ever bites us, or chews on the leash or our pant legs, and when he does we say "leave it", "off", or "no bite" and he stops immediately!  He is a truly awesome dog now.  We have not had to put him in a time out now for several weeks, and before we were doing it several times a day.  I feel I can take him anywhere now which is wonderful.   At about the age that his teeth started falling out I introduced Bully Sticks.  He loves those and chews on them much of the day.  He also likes ice cubes which I think helps his mouth feel better.  And I buy him sweet potato chews - also keep him chewing and happy.  He has an antler as well, which he likes but not as much as the 3 things I just mentioned.  I also suggest getting a Bumi made by West Paw.  Hugo loves this toy and it totally satisfies his urge to bite and pull (he was a pant puller!).  It looks like a boomer-rang and is this great hard rubbery/plastic stuff that stretches but does not break.  I got the 10 inch and it is perfect for keeping Hugo at arms length while he pulls and bites down on the other and I pull on my end.  We would do laps around the yard with it - he on one end and me on the other.  It is a great dog toy and I highly recommend it.  I also recommend training classes.  We are in our 3rd round of classes having gone through puppy school, Obedience 1 and now we are in Obedience 2.  It has been great with helping with EVERYTHING and its excellent for bonding with your pup.  I can't imagine raising a puppy without training classes. So my overall suggestion, is to just keep trying different strategies.  It is a stage, and soon your puppy will outgrow it and be a great dog!